April 25 - Where Are They Now? Wednesday - WKRP

This week’s WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WEDNESDAY (WATN) is dedicated to the cast of WKRP in Cincinnati. The first season of the show was released on DVD on April 24.

WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982) was a situation comedy on CBS based upon the misadventures of a fictional radio station.

It is one of my top five comedy shows of all times. I previously blogged about the TV show, NewsRadio, on a WATN blog on November 15, 2006.

WKRP was inspirational and prophetic for me.

If you sense a trend about radio shows, you are correct. I started and was the President of the first Radio Club at my High School in 1979. I had a show on WOUZ and WHIZ in 1979-1980 while still in high school. I might have pursued a career in the industry if I had not seen the pay stub of the head sportscaster at WHIZ.

He assured me that I shouldn’t worry. The folks in the “big” markets were pulling down twice as much. I thought “Wow.” I could live in a double–wide then. Try to ignore my flannel shirt in the photo. It was a very cold day in the studio that day.

So where is the cast from WKRP now?

The cast included (clockwise from front).

Howard Hesseman, 67 (Dr. Johnny Fever), guest-starred as a "Boston Legal" judge and on "House."

Loni Anderson, 61 (Jennifer Marlowe), appeared in seven episodes of Tori Spelling's "So NoTORIous" last year.

Richard Sanders, 66 (Les Nessman), continues to act and often re-creates the "turkey drop" near Thankgsiving for radio stations.

Frank Bonner, 65 (Herb Tarlek), has directed numerous sitcoms; appeared in the 2004 comedy film, "Shut Up and Kiss Me!"

Gary Sandy, 61 (Andy Travis), owns a farm near Louisville and appears in local theatre productions.

Jan Smithers, 57 (Bailey Quarters), has no TV credits since 1986, when she married actor James Brolin. They divorced in 1995. Bad move. He ended up with Barbara Streisand.

Gordon Jump (Arthur Carlson), was also known fo Maytag commercials, died in 2003 at age 71.

Tim Reid, 62 (Venus Flytrap), owns New Millennium Studios in Petersburg, VA. He had recurring roles on "Sister, Sister" and "That '70s Show."

So how can WKRP be inspirational and prophetic for me if I gave up on my radio announcer dream? I do live in Cincinnati.